COLUMBUS, Ohio – Despite the reduced roster, the Buckeyes were able to end the 24-day drought without a victory.

With guards Luther Muhammad and Duane Washington Jr. out due to suspension, the Buckeyes were able to secure an 80-68 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Following a four-game struggle in the shooting department, Ohio State was finally able to find the bottom of the bucket consistently, hitting on 54.5 percent of its shots in the game.

"Little bit better ball movement," Chris Holtmann said on what helped the shooting. "The ball didn't stick as much and we did make shots."

In the absence of Muhammad and Washington, freshman guard D.J. Carton was able to put together a well-rounded performance to help sustain the backcourt production. Carton would finish the game with 13 point. He would also add five assists and three rebounds to his evening.

In the frontcourt, it was the play of Kyle Young that helped push the Buckeyes through to the win. Returning last game against Indiana after a two-game absence, Young was able to use his energy and a scoring punch to help the Buckeyes against Nebraska.

Young would finish the game with 10 points, six rebounds and a pair of blocks.

After missing the first five shots of the game, the Buckeyes rode the hot hand of Andre Wesson, who was able to bury a three on three consecutive possessions. The senior would finish the half with nine points and a pair of assists.

"It gave us a big jolt of confidence," Holtmann said on the early shotmaking. "I mean a big jolt of confidence, because we didn't have a good first couple of possessions there to say the least."

The hot stretch would allow the Buckeyes to take a 9-4 advantage, and the performance seemed to snap the Buckeyes out of the shooting slump that had plagued them for the last four games.

The Buckeyes came into the game shooting 45.3 percent from the field on the year, but limiting the sample size to just the losing streak, the Buckeyes were only been able to hit on 33.6 percent of their shots.

Ohio State would finish the half shooting 53.6 percent from the field, but it was the Ohio State defense that allowed the Buckeyes to build solid lead heading into halftime. The Cornhuskers, who came into the game shooting 41.8 percent from the field on the season, would finish the half hitting on only 31.4 percent of their shots.

In the first half, Ohio State received positive production from a number of its starters. Like his brother, Kaleb Wesson was able to impact the game in the first half. The junior was able to add four points and a half-high seven rebounds.

Wesson would finish the game with 13 points and 13 rebounds to go along with two blocks.

At the depleted guard position, Carton was able to step into the starting role and play an effective first half. The freshman would finish the opening 20 minutes of play with five points, three assists and two rebounds.

E.J. Liddell was able to make a freshman impact of the bench in the first half, adding five points, two rebounds and a block to his performance. Justin Ahrens was also able to deliver on a three and bucket that beat the buzzer to help drive the bench production for the Buckeyes in the first half.

With usual contributors out, many Buckeyes were able to step up in the first half to give Ohio State a 38-25 advantage into the locker room.

The second half would open up with a Carton drive to the hoop that resulted in a three-point play. The play seemed to act as a tone setter for the Buckeyes, who would hit on 5-of-6 shots to open the half.

Carton would have an impressive second half, scoring eight points to help keep Nebraska at bay. C.J. Walker would also have a big second half, and the experienced guard would finish the game with season-high 18 points, four assists and five rebounds to help lead the Buckeyes to victory. Walker would hit on all six of his shots in the second half.

"I was able to make shots today," Walker said. "I haven't been making shots in conference play so far, so today was really good for me being able to get to the basket, being able to make plays and things like that."

The Buckeyes would not allow the lead to dip below 12 points in the second half, and Holtmann’s bunch would cruise the rest of the way to earn their 12th win and second victory in the Big Ten.

Ohio State will return to the court Saturday when the team visits Penn State. The game will tip at 12:00 p.m. on ESPNU.